Toys, toys, toys!!!

It can sometimes be challenging to keep your dog engaged and well exercised. And we all know that when left to find their own “entertainment”, a dog will come up with many ingenious ways to cause great property damage.

Investing in some dog toys will make everyone happier, and ultimately save you a lot more money.

Below are a list of dog toys that my dogs enjoy most. To keep your dog’s interest in his toys, you may want to cycle through different toys, each day of the week.

Note that the following descriptions are only based on my or other dog trainers experiences with these toys. Different dogs have different temperaments and will have different responses to a dog toy.

1. Hol-ee Roller Ball

These balls are great and safe for the teeth. All we have to do is get some hard dog biscuits, and put them into the Hol-ee Roller Ball.

There are two versions of the Hol-ee Roller Ball – the regular ball which has thinner rubber joints, and the extreme-ball which has thick rubber joints. I much prefer the extreme version because it is more challenging, as well as more durable.

Amazon Deals:

Hol-ee Roller
http://tinyurl.com/6murlrb

Hol-ee Roller X Extreme
http://tinyurl.com/6oo2jpc

2. Kong Rubber Toys

Kong rubber toys are tough and safe for most dogs.

I usually put canned dog food into a Kong Classic rubber toy, and then freeze it. This is a fun way to occupy my dog, especially when he is in his crate.

Sometimes, I further entice my dog by dropping in some cheese or sardines, before putting in the canned food. This provides the extra umph that gets him to work through the Kong.

Some other fun Kong toys are the Kong Dental Stick and the Kong Jump’n Jack. I stuff Innova EVO Small Bite kibble, or boiled chicken into the grooves of these two toys, and let my dogs chew on them.

You can also use Kong Stuff ‘N Paste, but I personally would not recommend it. The Kong paste frequently makes a mess all over the floor, and is not made from particularly good ingredients.

Amazon Deals:

http://tinyurl.com/849l2nd

3. Premier Busy Buddy Collection

My dogs like many of the Premier Busy Buddy interactive food toys.

The Twist and Treat is a good one to start with. Simply untwist the dog toy, put kibble inside, then twist the cover back on. At first, do not twist the cover on too tightly. In this way, our dog gets rewarded well for playing with the toy. Once the dog gains some experience, we can start tightening the lid more.

CAUTION: My Shiba Inu was able to tear off chunks from this toy when it was left with him unsupervised. Luckily, he just likes shredding and does not eat the shredded bits. It is best to take this toy away, once our dog is done with getting all the kibble out.

The Squirrel Dude is another fun dog toy that we can fill with kibble or other treats. If our dog has trouble getting the food out, we can cut off some of the rubber tabs at the bottom of the toy.

The most interesting one in the group is the Tug-a-Jug . I think it is hardest to get food out of this toy, so my Shiba Inu will only work on it when he is bored or really hungry, and does not have access to other food toys.

Initially, I unscrew the cover from the bottom of the jug, and fill up the jug with a good amount of kibble (over half full). This ensures that my dog is amply rewarded for playing with the toy. After he gains some experience, I slowly reduce the amount of kibble in the jug. It is difficult to get the last bits of kibble out, so I add more before the jug becomes too empty.

Amazon Deal:

http://tinyurl.com/7nslqw7

http://tinyurl.com/77nnm7n

http://tinyurl.com/89mj688

4. Buster Cube

In the beginning, I put the Buster Cube setting to maximum, so that my dog will be motivated to play with it. As my dog learns how the toy works, I slowly decrease the cube setting to make it more challenging.

When filling the cube, make sure all the kibble goes into the holes around the central column. Otherwise, the kibble will just collect at the bottom of the column. Then, when the Cube gets rolled, all the collected kibble will come out at once.

The Buster Cube does not work well on slippery, hard, surfaces (e.g. tile floors, wooden floors), because it will only slide on the floor, rather than roll. As a result, no food will come out. The Cube is good for carpeted surfaces and for outdoors.

Amazon Deal:

http://tinyurl.com/7hkex9d

5. Rhino Stuff & Chew

This nice rubber chew ball has chambers all around, that we may fill with food. It is most effective to use wet food, such as sardines, or boiled chicken. Sardines work really well with my Shiba Inu, and he is extremely motivated to get it all out.

Amazon Deal:

http://tinyurl.com/833gv9a

6. Nylabone Crazy Ball

The Nylabone Crazy Ball has a ball within a ball. It is easy to fill with dry dog treats, and the design is such that the treats do not come out too quickly.

The Crazy Ball comes with a small box of treats that are properly sized for the toy, but they are no longer sold. As an alternative, I fill the Crazy Ball with gog Treats. Just break the treats if to to a good size.

One issue with the Nylabone Crazy Ball is that it is made of hard plastic and can be rather noisy, especially on hard wooden floors. You may want to stay away from this one if you want to hear alot of noises.

7. Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball

The Omega Treat Ball is a great kibble ball. It is easy to fill with Innova small kibble, and the ball only releases a few pieces of kibble at a time. As a result, this toy engages my Shiba Inu for a good amount of time.

Amazon Deal:

http://tinyurl.com/7f5tyvo

8. Cheap Dog Toys

I have found many good deals on Amazon by looking through their discount dog toys. Here are some 50%-70% discount dog toys at Amazon.

http://tinyurl.com/6tua4ej

For this to work well, you may want to join Amazon Prime to save on shipping and handling costs.